The eighth annual UT McClung Museum Civil War Lecture Series kicks off on January 28.
Throughout the series, McClung Museum Civil War Curator Joan Markel and guest contributors will explore the places and people of the Civil War in East Tennessee and beyond.
Each Sunday lecture will be held at 2 p.m. in the auditorium of the museum at 1327 Circle Park Drive.
The January 28 lecture, “November 1863 and the Battle of Fort Sanders; Back to Basics,” will re-examine the primary sources safekeeping our knowledge of that fateful time when the eyes of the nation were focused on events unfolding in East Tennessee. Markel and Steve Dean, documentary filmmaker and a member of the museum board, will review the rich cartographic, photographic, and documentary evidence.
Other lectures in the series include:
- February 18: “History on the Ground: An Armchair Tour of 1863 Knoxville.” Our modern landscape is only a click away from the sites and structures of the Civil War era. The latest technology will allow a comfortable armchair tour of diverse locations rich in Civil War history; the route follows the troops from Farragut down Kingston Pike then around the easily identifiable downtown streets.
- March 25: “South of the River: Developments in Knoxville’s Historic Preservation Effort.” Recent preservation efforts at Fort Dickerson, Fort Higley, and the Battlfield Loop section of the Urban Wilderness solidify and highlight events of 1861–1865 on the south side of the Tennessee River in Knoxville.
- April 29: “Soldiers and Civilians: History as Documented by the Social Life of an Occupied City.” Knoxville was not just a military post; throughout the war it was the center of social life in East Tennessee. Military personnel and civilians interacted to a significant extent, and surviving stories are of lasting interest. Recent Civil War programming at Blount Mansion will be highlighted by Executive Director David E. Hearnes.
All lectures are free and open to the public.
Museum admission is free, and the museum’s hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Free parking is available on the weekends. Free public transportation to the museum is available via the Knoxville Trolley Vol Line.
See the museum’s website for more information about family programming, parking, and collections and exhibits.
—
CONTACT:
Joan Markel (865-974-2144, jmarkel@utk.edu)
Catherine Shteynberg (865-974-6921, cshteynb@utk.edu)